• Swindon & Wiltshire Experts
• Thursday November 20 2025
• Author Name: Helen Imbusi

Employee care is a year-round responsibility, not just for Christmas

With Christmas office parties imminent employers must be especially mindful of their duty of care to staff, says Helen Imbusi of the HR Dept.

With rules being strengthened on employer responsibilities, looking after staff is more than just best practice – it’s essential to avoid landing in hot water.

There have been a lot of changes around employer responsibilities, and there are many more to come.

This time last year, for example, the Worker Protection Act came into force, placing the emphasis on employers to take steps to prevent sexual harassment.

Changes coming up include, from April 2026, protection from detriment and unfair dismissal for whistleblowers making a sexual harassment disclosure.

From October next year, there will be a new duty for employers to prevent harassment from third parties, for example customers or clients; plus, a strengthening of the wording from employers having to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment to ‘all reasonable steps’.

A change to the law around non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) is also expected. This will void clauses preventing workers from alleging or disclosing work-related harassment or discrimination. The date of this change is not known yet.

Employers need to carry out robust risk assessments, particularly ahead of any social gathering, or when staff go off site, or if they are lone/home workers.

Make sure any risks are identified, make sure your policies on conduct are up to date, and remind staff of these policies ahead of any social events.

In terms of risk assessments, we have developed a framework for our clients, which is easy to use and helps them work out how to mitigate any risks. This might, for example, involve additional training for managers, or updating policies.

Helen Imbusi is head of HR at the HR Dept Swindon, North Wiltshire and East Cotswolds